Summary:

When Red is taken hostage, Liz spends her time waiting in his apartment for his safe return.

This is from a prompt from the FB group Lizzington Forever: Liz wears Red's hoodie.

Notes:

How stupid do they think we are? No way in hell Red is Liz' father and I'm as persistent about it as every single daddygater.

We're still sailing, just keep the faith! :)

The muse had been gone for a while and I still feel a little rusty, but thanks to my beta and lovely friend heatherpeters this came out eventually.

It had been a bad day already. The headache Liz had been nursing since this morning had moved from her temples to the back of her skull and refused to go away. Every task seemed to annoy and irritate her and the paperwork at the post office grew incredible bothersome as she just couldn't concentrate.

She was displeased, had no real appetite, was fussy and couldn't stand other people around or in her space. Hot fury swept through her and she nearly bit Donald's head off when he asked what was wrong for the third time.

Red had been away for a business trip for a couple of days and there was no new case to investigate.

Liz usually didn't give much thought about his affairs or what he was doing, but this time she had an indescribable "knowing" that something wasn't right. She wasn't able to pinpoint the cause; she kept feeling a sense of uneasiness; inside she knew something was very wrong.

She took the rest of the day off and went home to her sleazy motel room. She indulged in a relaxing bath, tried to sleep, read a few pages in her current book, anything to get her mind off, but nothing would calm her frayed nerves.

She picked peevishly at the Chinese takeout in the evening when her phone rang. It was Dembe who broke the bad news she'd unconsciously been waiting for all day.

A business meeting with a rather trustworthy associate had gone wrong and Red was taken hostage. Now said associate demanded a huge amount of money for Red's freedom. Kate Kaplan, Dembe and Baz were on their way to deliver the demanded ransom.

"Elizabeth, you know about his flat in Bethesda. I was wondering if you could take care of the cat as long as we're gone?"

"Sure."

"It'll be essential to keep a low profile while you're there."

"Of course. How long will you be gone?"

"I don't know."

"Well, just … bring him back, okay?"

She couldn't quite keep the tremor out of her voice.

"I will, Elizabeth."

#####

Ten minutes later a courier brought her the key to Red's apartment. She took her own key, her phone, then slipped it into her coat and left the motel.

Liz parked her car three blocks away near an elementary school as it would be less conspicuous. Drizzling rain fell from a gray sky as she reached her destination unseen.

She unlocked the door, opened it and stepped inside, toeing off her boots at once so she didn't track water and dirt onto the floor.

Switching on the lights, Liz tentatively stepped further inside, looking around curiously. She had been to his flat before a few weeks ago, when he was shot and she had lifted the mystery of the Fulcrum in the aftermath. His extensive collection of old books and records on the shelves had surprised her back then and it surprised her now again. She felt like she was allowed to enter his inner sanctum to catch a glimpse behind the guise of Raymond Reddington, the dangerous criminal.

She was pulled out of her thoughts by Red's cat jumping onto the kitchen counter, meowing at her.

"Hey, sweetheart. Do you remember me?"

Liz slipped out of her jacket and draped it over a chair, then approached the cat which had started to purr just by talking to it. Her slender fingers stroked the cat's head, massaging a tufted ear, then moving to scratch the animal under the chin and down to the chest. It's approving loud rumble said she had just found the right spots.

"I guess you do", Liz said, smiling at the affection.

"I'm Lizzie and I'll feed you every day until Red comes back," she kept saying and by the way the cat perked up its ears at the names, then blinked back at her, Liz was sure the cute bundle of fur understood.

Liz crossed the kitchen to the cupboard where Dembe had said they kept the food. The cabinet was filled with cans of cat food - expensive, gourmet cat food. Several blue willow-patterned china bowls sat toward the front of the bottom shelf.

Liz opened a can and placed a portion in one dish, then filled another with fresh water. All the while the tabby wound herself around Liz's legs, howling hungrily until she placed the little bowls down on the floor.

While the cat demolished the dinner, Liz started a kettle for tea. She was cold, wet and chilled from the rain outside and the apartment wasn't particular warm either. Waiting for the water to boil, she quickly cleaned the litter box in the corridor, picked up the droppings using a scooper, then refilled the litter.

Coming back to the kitchen the kitty was done eating and now sat back on the kitchen counter, thoroughly cleaning its paws, whiskers and face.

Liz poured hot water over the tea bag, then took the mug and settled down in the comfortable armchair. Lost in thought she dunked the tea bag around, sighing. It was getting late, she should go home, another long day of paperwork was waiting for her tomorrow.

Reluctantly she finished the tea, put the mug into the sink, then scratched the top of the cat's head again on her way out of the kitchen.

"See you tomorrow sweetheart."

Starting to purr, Liz could swear the expression in its eyes told her not to go just yet.

With a heavy heart Liz put her jacket back on and slipped into her shoes. The moment she reached for the doorknob she knew she didn't want to leave at all.

Staying at Red's small cozy apartment was so much more compelling than the prospect of returning to her lifeless motel room. Something about his place calmed her and made her feel safe. And somehow she felt so much closer to him here too.

Going back and through the kitchen cabinets she found enough cat food, tins of soup, packets of noodles, toast and cookies. There were eggs and milk in the fridge and she quickly decided it was enough for her to live on until Red returned. She couldn't help feel relieved at the possibility to stay indefinitely.

"I guess you'll have to take your chances with me a little longer after all." Liz smiled and removed her shoes once more.

She shivered in her damp clothes. The plunging temperature began to penetrate as her hands and feet grew cold as ice.

Despite her earlier soak in the motel bathtub, she decided to have a quick shower to warm her up before sleep.

Going into the small bathroom she turned on the shower and held her hand beneath the running water to adjust the temperature. She undressed quickly, climbed into the shower and let the hot water beat against her chilled body.

She used Red's skin care products, rinsing his shampoo from her hair, the scent of his shower gel enveloped her, musky, earthy and appealing just like she remembered it on him.

The distraction was considerable and she closed her eyes and let herself daydream for a minute, imagining he was still there, still with her, telling her one of his many outrageous stories.

She stared downward as the bubbles escaped down the chrome drain and reality kicked back in. Red was gone, missing, abducted, maybe even getting tortured this very moment.

Shaking these thoughts forcefully from her mind, she shut off the water, pulled his towel from the rack, dried herself off and exited the shower. She twisted the towel into a turban around her wet hair, then grabbed his thick terrycloth robe, slipped her arms into it and tugged on the belt, pulling it tightly around her waist.

She moved to the dresser in his bedroom and opened a drawer. Inside, his socks and his underwear were folded nice and neat and laid out in careful rows. She opened another drawer and found t-shirts and sweatpants folded skillfully as if he'd just bought them from a store. Liz felt a little guilty and embarrassed at first, invading his most private places like this, but it wasn't snooping, she just needed dry and comfortable clothes to wear for the night.

Now she found herself standing in front of his closet and she slid the doors open to reveal half a dozen suits, stacks of clean dress shirts, and rows of polished shoes. His silk ties hung neatly on a revolving tie rack. She smelled the familiar scent of his after-shave mixed with the clean scent of freshly laundered clothes.

She ran her fingertips over her favorite tie, remembering the day Red had last worn it, the day Tom had been arrested for killing the harbor master. She had been such a mess that day, shocked and horrified by Tom's actions and by herself for falsely trusting and loving him for way too long.

Red had been her tower of strength ever since, his support and care a constant in her otherwise jumbled and confused life. She had been close to losing Red a few weeks before when he was shot and now he was missing again. She wasn't sure how much of this she could still handle without going crazy from her constant concern.

She let go of the tie and glanced at the black zip-up hoodie fastened on a hanger in the far corner of the closet. She'd never seen him wearing something this casual and curious she took the hoodie to have a closer look.

His masculine scent, the heady sensual aroma of a virile man strongly emanated from the fabric and she couldn't help bury her nose deep into it, taking a deep breath, letting his smell wash over her.

Without thinking she dropped the bathrobe to the floor and put on the hoodie, literally wrapping herself in his scent as she felt oddly comforted knowing that the soft textile had touched his body. She went back to the dresser and put on a pair of his sweatpants. Wearing something of his made her feel deliciously close to him too; suddenly she felt so much better.

She loosened the towel around her head, shivering at the cold once more. Red didn't have a blow-dryer, so her hair had to dry on its own. She didn't dare to turn on the heater; the lights were on too long already and she had promised to keep a low profile.

Deciding to just call it a day Liz headed off to bed. She turned off the lights but left the blinds open as to not draw attention to any movement in the rooms.

Wrapped in his hoodie, surrounded by his scent, in the bed he laid in many nights, she wished she could just bottle up his essence. Clutching his pillow, curled up under the sheets, she imagined him holding her. Unable to fully satisfy her all-consuming need to have him back, to feel the warmth of his touch, the comfort of his embrace, to be able to place her hands in his once more to soothe her, she realized the security that was once hers had disappeared and she was overcome with grief and frustration. There was nothing she could do to help him. All she could do was wait and hope.

Eventually her weariness won over, and a dreamless sleep came for her.

Day 1

Hi Red,

Dembe has asked me to take care of your cat, so I decided to stay at your place, I hope you don't mind.

Don't worry, I'll be careful, no one will know I'm here. I'll keep the lights and power to an absolute minimum. I've called Cooper and took a few days off, so no one will come looking for me either. I just want to remain here, you know, waiting for your safe return.

I found this writing pad at your desk, and there are so many thoughts and feelings running through my mind right now and I'd like to write them down and put them in order.

I took the liberty of putting on some of your clothes too. I never knew you owned jeans and sweatshirts. When do you wear them?

In the short time I've been here, I've realized there're so many things I don't know about you and I'm excited to discover some more while I'm praying your life isn't in grave danger.

I worry so much about you right now and I have this indescribable need to reside here for the time being, because it makes me feel so much better. As if you were still here and only gone for the moment. I hope you'll understand.

I miss you…

Liz

TBC